


from rust to skin

by edoranpo



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Artificial Intelligence, M/M, Robot/Human Relationships, but it might be bad, idk if i want this to be angsty or to be fluffy, it can be both
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-05 21:05:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14627022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edoranpo/pseuds/edoranpo
Summary: chen linong is an exchange student from taiwan. cai xukun is a weird roommate sent to 'accompany' linong during his stay under professor qin fen's instructions.





	1. a roommate

Chen Linong was an exchange student from Taiwan, majoring in technology and robotics. He was one of the top honour students in his past university, and was given a chance to study abroad by his professor to pursue deeper study on artificial intelligence.

 

Linong hadn’t really thought much of it; he’d much rather stay at home, helping out his family and slowly climbing the ranks until he graduated with honours, but he made the mistake to mention the offer to his parents. Linong’s parents immediately pushed him to go. They’d packed his bags and bid him goodbye in no less than two weeks, and the professor had given him the tickets after a day, explaining that he already settled the papers and records needed way before he’d even mentioned it to Linong.

 

And all of that had eventually brought Linong here, in the heart and central of China, Beijing. After Linong had hopped off the plane, he realised just how big and populous China really was. 21 millionwas a number he’d heard almost everyday, but he hadn’t seen what it actually amounted to. People walking across streets and intersections bustled and spilled altogether; lights from traffic clouded the sky and no star or moon was seen from the stretching horizons. Linong carefully treaded the gutters, squeezing with what little space he could make for himself, and gave out the biggest sigh when he finally reached the building of where the apartment the university had rented out for him was.

 

The hallways were bleak. The lights flickered and the air felt dry, though he couldn’t blame the place, it was mostly because of the general weather in Beijing. It made everything look so grey and dark. Linong reached the apartment that had the numbers ‘432’ embossed in gold in front of it and entered through the door while facing the other way to roll his luggage bag inside. As he began to back up, he’d bumped into something. Something small, short, and only at the height of the back of his neck. Linong was afraid he’d break it; it almost felt like glass. But when he’d turned around, it wasn’t something.

 

It was someone.

 

“Are you Chen Linong, the exchange student?” They said.

 

It was a boy a head shorter than Linong, with arms until fingertips hidden underneath his sweater, hair hued the darkest of black although he wore a smile so bright Linong could barely even glance up at it.

 

“Hello, I am Xukun. I was instructed to accompany you during your stay here.”

 

 

 

 

Linong managed to escape by excusing himself first to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror, taking off his mask in a hurry to inhale the air he felt he’d lost. He thought of many possibilities, for example: maybe he’d entered the wrong room. _No wait, he knew my name._ Or maybe, this was a different Chen Linong the boy was talking about. _No wait, he said ‘the exchange student’._ Or maybe his professor just pulled the biggest prank on him; international-wise. And with much consideration, Linong figured it was most likely the last one.

 

Linong calmed himself down by turning on the faucet and splashing water on his face; it didn’t do much to calm, but it did refresh him. What came with the refreshment was the sense that the boy- _Xukun_ , was probably thinking Linong took a dump, or else he’d find it very strange that Linong would stay in the bathroom for this long. He finally shook himself awake and took a last gulp of air for strength, and opened the bathroom door.

 

Linong instantly met eyes with Xukun whom was sitting quietly and pristinely at the end of one of the two beds. Oddly, both beds looked tidy and neat, even the one Xukun was sitting on. And everything else in the room was organised—nothing felt like they were touched or used. The apartment felt very brand new. Linong had assumed Xukun would’ve been another student that had volunteered as a guest host, and this would have been his home, but it didn’t look like it.

 

Xukun stared at Linong and smiled wide, “Hello, Chen Linong.” He said. His voice was smooth and steady.

 

“Ah, you can just call me Linong…”

 

“Okay, Linong.” Xukun replied; his smile still lingered. Linong wondered if Xukun would ever stop smiling, but there was a contradictory to that thought. Xukun’s smile was quite beautiful, in a way that everyone would know what he meant if Linong had said it out loud (not that he would be brave enough to). Xukun looked like a model, entirely pieced and puzzled together to make a porcelain doll. His skin glowed and his eyes felt like black holes; once you look into them, you’d get sucked right in.

 

That was exactly how Linong felt right now: sucked in. He didn’t know what else to do. Once he was finally able to pry away from Xukun’s eye contact, he moved further into the apartment, seeing as his luggage was already settled onto the bed right next to Xukun.

 

Linong started to take out his clothes and unpack, but felt as though burns were piercing his skin as Xukun’s eyes followed him still. Linong would glance up, and Xukun wouldn’t avert his gaze, but only deepen his smile. Linong would smile back, to the best of his abilities despite the very awkwardness and surprise-factor of the whole situation.

 

“I’m sorry if I came so late, by the way. I didn’t mean to bother you at this hour. I just, honestly, didn’t know I’d have a…” Linong’s words trailed away, but Xukun chimed in, “A roommate?”

 

Linong nodded, “Yes, a roommate. Yeah.”

 

“Professor Qin Fen instructed me to accompany you during your exchange program.” Xukun repeated. It was the same thing he said earlier.

 

“What does he mean, ‘ _accompany’_? I’m not a kid. Why would he go through the trouble just to bring me a _babysitter_ -“ Linong caught himself mindlessly speaking, and immediately covered his mouth in regret. He looked back up at Xukun, worried that he might’ve offended him, but Xukun still had the same gentle smile on his face.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t mean that, of course you’re not a babysitter, what am I saying…” Linong hurriedly took out all the clothes and things he had left inside his luggage. He wanted so badly to speed up the process so he wouldn’t have to bathe in this kind of embarrassment any longer.

 

“It’s alright. I could be your babysitter, if that is what you would prefer.”

 

The words made Linong stop on his tracks. He was approaching a nearby drawer to stuff his clothes in, but the words that Xukun stated put everything to a halt. _It’s definitely weird this time,_ Linong thought. And even then, Xukun still had his eyes following Linong; it was a straightforward, direct stare that Linong couldn’t ever seem to shake off. All of this, along with the fact Xukun hadn’t even laughed afterwards, so Linong absolutely had no way of telling if he’d been joking or not.

 

“No, no… This…” Linong tried hard to change the subject in his confusion, “It’s just that I didn’t even want to go to this place, anyways. It was my parents.”

 

“What about your parents?” Xukun asked.

 

“They wanted me to take the offer for this exchange program. I told them I didn’t want to, over and over, but they just packed my bags and made me go.” Linong took out the final thing inside of his luggage. It was a framed picture of him and his parents. It was one of the rare photos where his father was actually smiling; never mind Linong and his mother, whom were always smiling widely in every photo. Linong thought back to all the days when he was only as tall as the pot of their growing mango tree; he’d latch onto his mother’s leg every morning before she went to work, and whine every night before his father would go out to fish. And he realises, he’d never actually been this far away from both of them.

 

“This is the farthest I’ve been from my family,” Linong sighed. His chest suddenly felt heavy. He didn’t know why he was talking to these things with a stranger. Maybe the fatigue was really setting in. It had been very late already, after all.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be talking about these things.” Linong quickly hid the framed photo inside the drawer as well, before he could well up and cry on it.

 

“You keep saying sorry, Linong.”

 

Linong looked up to see Xukun standing right beside him. From that angle, Linong had almost truly believed Xukun could be taller than him. But Xukun slowly squatted down to his level, eyes finally not following Linong’s every move, but instead, had steadied themselves on the photo Linong shoved inside the drawer. Xukun slowly pulled out the drawer, and held the framed photo in his two, small hands. Delicately, like it was the most fragile thing.

 

Linong didn’t really believe that, though. At the very first impression, Xukun seemed more fragile and easily breakable than anything. So Linong didn’t move. Didn’t fade and inch away. Linong stayed where he was, and listened.

 

“Professor Qin Fen has said that it is our parents that know us best. They knew you wanted to go here,” Xukun placed the framed photo back onto Linong’s lap.

 

“And if your minds are already connected like this, then I do not think you could truly ever be far away from them.”

 

 

 

 

That night, Linong thought that maybe having a roommate wouldn’t be so bad.


	2. enjoy your bath

Linong was not used to Beijing’s humidity. But he supposed it was reasonable, since it still _was_ only two days near the end of August. _The heat isn’t reasonable, though._

 

He woke up with sweat trickling down his back and lungs barely managing to process the air. As much as he’d wanted to sleep in a bit later, Linong couldn’t bear the lump of heaviness he felt inside of the room, so he sat up on the right side of his bed and tried to adjust himself to the sudden push of gravity on his head.

 

Opening his eyes, he’d expected Xukun to be lying on the bed beside him, perfectly unbothered by the weather, skin still in good condition, and sweat stains non-existent on his bed—but Xukun wasn’t even there.

 

Linong thought if he really had woken up that late, but when he glanced up at the clock, it was only 9:30 AM. _Where did he go?_ Linong thought, and felt surprised when he’d caught himself wondering.

Linong hadn’t even meant to get emotional in front of the stranger last night. Xukun _had_ been quite weird, after all. The way Xukun spoke so formally but with a jovial and enthusiastic tone somewhat made the impression that he was constantly teasing Linong, but when he looked at Xukun last night, there was no trace of a joke or a tease. Xukun meant every word he said with sincerity, and that had only confused Linong even more.

 

Linong shook his head and the thoughts away, unable to figure Xukun out. He’d made himself a silent pact to not get too involved with Xukun, and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up.

 

But before opening the door, he’d heard a buzzing whir. Like one of the old family computers Linong’s grandparents used to have in their home. When Linong would push the button to start it up, it would need about half a minute to start, and the inside would sound like a whole winter avalanche.

 

Linong pressed his ears to the door to hear more clearly, but it had suddenly stopped. The door was pulled open from the inside, and Linong almost stumbled to the ground, but was stopped when he’d slammed onto something… _clink!_ Metal?

 

“Be careful, Linong.” A hand supported Linong around his waist. Linong looked up.

 

It was Xukun.

 

Linong felt his whole body go rigid. “Oh, Xukun,” Linong coughed, his dry mouth still unable to catch up to his determination to sound as smooth as Xukun’s voice.

 

“I… I thought there was something else in there.”

 

Xukun slowly tilted his head to the right, “Like what?”

 

Linong stared at the bathroom behind Xukun. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but he could feel something was out of place. He’d definitely heard something in there.

 

Linong looked back at Xukun whose gaze had enver left Linong, and realizes that he was too close. He tries to take a step back but Xukun’s hand was still around Linong’s waist, and like an unmovable boulder, Linong couldn’t push his way out from Xukun’s hold. It hadn’t even felt like Xukun was exerting the most force, but Linong still found it too heavy to move.

 

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing… but… Xukun, you can let go of me now.” Linong said, his voice making his words sound like a beg.

 

“Are you safe now, Linong?”

 

Linong thought he was about to cry, “Yes, yeah, I am, so it’s okay.” _This is so embarrassing, oh my God._

 

Once released, Linong stumbled backward like it had caused him a whiplash, and tries to find back his balance… and dignity, if he could ever find it again.

 

_How many times have I slipped up in front of this guy?_

 

Linong slowly moves past Xukun to reach the inside of the bathroom, as Xukun stays in front of the doorway, head following every which way Linong moves to. He was about to close the door, but Xukun was facing Linong once again, with the smile Linong once thought was very gentle, but now seems both awkward and stale.

 

Linong doesn’t know why, but it was at that moment that he’d decided to crack a joke, meant to turn the situation around, and embarrass Xukun for once.

 

“Are you going to go inside with me?” Linong laughed, albeit too nervously.

 

“Do you want me to?”

 

Linong was obliterated from inside. He felt his opponent too strong to take down, and he retreats back with full defense, “…I’m sorry. I’ll just, I’ll just go wash up now.”

 

“Okay. Enjoy your bath.” Xukun smiles, while Linong internally hits himself. Xukun bows a full 90 degrees, and finally walks away.

 

It’s only then that Linong felt he could breathe.


	3. aren't you too harsh?

“Are you crazy, Gege?”

“I’m not crazy enough to let you stay there all on your own, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Professor Qin Fen was a renowned inventor and professor about robotics. At the simple age of nineteen, he’d already made his first robot that could detect sickness and early symptoms of illnesses after two years of constant rebuilding, reprogramming, and redesigning. The robot is now being used abroad and in most prestigious hospitals as nurses to help general physicians.

Linong remembers how he’d first seen those robots when he was ten. They didn’t look entirely human. They had wires springing from their metallic base, and two LED lights for eyes, and no mouth, nose or ears. They had fingers and wheels for feet, and roamed around with a whirring noise. Whenever they’d speak, you’d hear it from the speakers that resided within them.

Linong thought they were the most amazing mystery of the whole world, and that the person that created them must’ve been even more amazing. And when Linong had seen Professor Qin Fen on television, when he was being interviewed about the robot medical aids, he’d decided right then and there, that he’d be the same as that person.

Chen Linong’s name would also be embossed over metal and written on the news as an inventor.

But… after much rigorous reviewing and cramming for the university’s entrance exams and miraculously managing to hog a spot for himself in Professor Qin Fen’s class, he hadn’t really expected… such a wild and loud professor.

“Gege, I’m in second year college. I’m perfectly fine being alone!” Linong’s frustration could be heard clearly through the line, and so could Qin Fen’s laughter, which he was quite obviously holding in.

“Hey, how old do you think you are? You’re only nineteen.”

“But, Gege, he’s too…” Linong trailed off, unable to think of the right term.

Qin Fen had filled it in for him instead, “Weird?”

“Yeah, weird! Right,” Linong paused for a moment, “Wait, how did you know that?”

There was silence, but then, there was more held back laughter. Qin Fen’s silly little chuckles could be heard even though Linong knows he’s probably distancing his phone away from him to hide his laughs. The frustration within Linong that had calmed itself down for a second didn’t waste time to rise back up again.

“You… Did you already know he was like this?!” Linong shouted, but felt the stares of people in the park latch onto him, and he quickly resumed talking in whispers.

“How could you give me such a weird person as a roommate?”

“Ey, aren’t you being too harsh? Xukun is a nice… person,” Qin Fen said. The emphasizing he’d done made Linong nervous about what Xukun could really be like.

“He’ll take care of you. Anyways, where is he?”

Linong glanced over at Xukun sitting on the bench. They were outside in a nearby park because Linong wanted to get some food from a restaurant nearby, but Xukun had persisted on coming with. Linong told him he didn’t need to, and that he’d be fine on his own, but Xukun had kept repeating,  _“Professor Qin Fen told me to stay with you.”_  Like they were gospel.

Linong didn’t have a choice, and they both ended up crossing the street to reach the nearest hotpot restaurant, when Linong decided to finally call Qin Fen to confront him.

“We’re going out to eat and have a blast.” Linong deadpanned.

“Wait, eat? Where? What?” Qin Fen said. Linong found this weird, too. Qin Fen wasn’t the type to ask too many questions.

“Just some hotpot, relax.”

“You… You shouldn’t make him eat. This kid… He has a lot of, uh, allergies.”

“Allergies?” Linong wondered why it seemed that the professor knew so much about Xukun.

“Yeah. So, just, watch out. Ask him first, and if he says he can’t, then that means he has an allergy to it.”

Linong scratched his head in confusion, “Oh… Okay? But, how do you know this about him anyways-”

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._  After three loud beeps, a longer beep continued, and that was all that could be heard from the phone afterwards.

Linong really, really, really regrets choosing Qin Fen’s class.

“What did I do to deserve this?” Linong whispered, eyes looking up into the sky, searching for an answer.

Seeing that the heavens did not particularly favor him (and it is very evident due to the circumstances), he could only look over his shoulder to see Xukun still sitting as perfectly-postured on the park bench as ever, just like when they’d first met each other.

“Really, what did I do?”

Linong runs back to Xukun, anyways.

 

 

 

 

The two days that came after Linong had been thrown into Beijing passed fairly quickly. They were mostly filled with much uncomfortable and awkward silences, and exchange of glances (on Linong’s part, and mostly staring on Xukun’s part) with his roommate across the room. But now, Linong faced a much bigger challenge.

Linong was 182 centimeters tall, or so he says, but when he stood in front of the gates of Minzu University earlier had made him feel like he was an earthworm squirming on the ground, trying to find its way back into the soil. The gates were gigantic; large metal bars painted black, and a brick wall right beside it that had big chromatic letters displaying the university’s name in great pride.

The guard in the guardhouse over the gate had spotted Linong and told him he’d come too early, and Linong fumbled with his words still thick with a Taiwanese accent to explain that he was an exchange student, and didn’t know about the opening time. But still, the guard had let him enter through the smaller gate, and Linong was overjoyed.

 “Thank you! Thank you so much!” Linong said, bowing and dashing further inside.

Walking through the middle between the soccer field and the two buildings to his right, Linong felt like he was dreaming. Minzu looked bleak and pale from the outside, but the whole campus was surrounded by trees behind the fences that separated the perimeter of the school to the groves of trees outside. At five in the morning, the sun still hadn’t fully risen, but the winds had picked up, and the rustling of tree leaves atop one another created a sort of serenity.

From where he was, to his north was the second entrance directly into the main hall of the school, to his right were two buildings connected with each other via staircases, and to his left was a big open field. Linong figured there was more to see behind the school.

He strolled right into the second entrance, and was greeted by a hallway lit entirely by fluorescent lights. It seemed that there was still no people around except for a janitor mopping the floors.

Passing the classrooms, Linong decided to go see his classroom first.

He knew that the classrooms were separated by department. The first floor belonged to Math and Science majors, and the second was for Technology and Robotics. If he remembers correctly, he was put in Room 220, with Professor Han Mubo.

Climbing the stairs slowly up to his floor made his heart flutter a bit. At first, he hadn’t really looked forward to attending. But when he’d been right  _there,_ right inside of the school, he couldn't help but feel like he'd entered a whole other world. Feeling his heart beat against his chest, Linong thought his parents were really kind. They understood and knew him and what he actually wanted better than he did himself.

He thought back to what Xukun said on the night of his arrival,  _“If your minds are already connected like this, then I do not think you could truly ever be far away from them.”_ And in that moment, Linong understood the whole of what Xukun meant.

Remembering Xukun, Linong started to feel apologetic. Linong couldn’t sleep most of the night, but when he finally had an inch of sleep, he woke up a few hours after and saw Xukun lying on the bed with his eyes closed as well. It had only been 4 AM then, so Linong took that chance to shower up and sneak outside to escape him. Linong didn’t want Xukun latching onto him like he did yesterday, but now he’d felt regret for just leaving Xukun like that.

Linong sighed, but continued to walk and pass by other classrooms. When he’d finally reached Room 220, he looked at the placard on the front that said “Professor Yue Yue – Programming”.

Linong furrowed his brows and scratched his head, “But I thought this was Han Mubo’s… Wait, what was my class number again?” He wondered if he'd even remembered it right. He slid his backpack down to the ground and searched for his student papers inside, hoping the correct class number would be listed there.

But before he could even flip open his binder, a voice called out to him from behind, “Your class number is 280, Linong.”

Xukun's voice echoed through the empty hallway. Linong didn't even dare look back.


	4. someone by his side

“So, you’re telling me that we’re in all the same classes? Same major, same minors, same professors?”

 

“Yes, that is correct.” Xukun said, with such a smile that couldn’t even make Linong mad, but only cry a little inside. The regret he’d felt earlier quickly subsided, and all that was left was self-pity. He wondered what he’d done to Qin Fen to have this treatment.

 

It all felt like a big prank, but Xukun’s words and actions, and the way he looks at Linong said otherwise; meanwhile, Qin Fen had _always_ sounded like he was pulling a prank on anyone.

 

“I can’t deal with this.” Linong buried his face inside of his palms. The consequences of not being able to sleep for most of the night suddenly wore down on him. He felt his eyes drag themselves to look at Xukun, and his mouth frown deeper than he’d been already doing.

 

But Xukun had a sense of innocence dwelling inside of him that Linong could barely understand, and Linong could see it as Xukun tilted his head and asked, “Do you not like me being here, Linong?”

 

“No, it’s not…” Linong sighed, “It’s not… _you._ I guess I’m just tired.”

 

“Tired is not good for the body. You must rest. I can carry you to the nurse’s office.” Xukun stood up and propped himself down on one knee, hands signaling Linong to get on his back from behind. Linong didn’t even think much of it anymore, and instead, had just laughed.

 

If Xukun was good at anything, it was making every situation both hilarious and embarrassing.

 

“What do you mean, carry? I’m taller than you, you know.” Linong said, grabbing Xukun’s hand upward to stand him straight.

 

“I’m fine. Really.” Linong had begun to laugh even louder now, until it could be heard bouncing off the walls, reaching the ends of the hallway. Xukun stared at him, as though to study his reaction, but had soon grew a big smile on his face, as well.

 

“Being fine is good. I hope you are fine every day.” Xukun said. To this, Linong had realized he'd deeply misunderstood Xukun. It wasn’t that Xukun was weird, he’d just been very straightforward and honest. Something that Linong had forgotten to be for a while. Linong always felt the need to put up barriers, but then he meets Xukun, a person completely out of limitations.

 

A person entirely himself, and without any restraints to that. _How amazing is that?_

 

“Sorry for leaving you back there, by the way.” Linong bowed his head, “I should’ve woken you up to come with.”

 

“You do not need to apologize. It wouldn’t have made sense to wake me at four in the morning. Minzu University’s front gates open at six thirty in the morning.”

 

“Or so I’ve heard.” Linong said; his soft laughter reached the sun that was slowly starting to rise. It had already reached a quarter to seven, and Linong hadn’t even noticed. They saw from behind the balcony that the front gates had already been opened, and students started flooding in.

 

The students had looked either so prim and tidy, or worn away. Business majors wore casual suits, but always with the blue tie. Literature majors wore flannels and carried at least three books between their arms crossed over their chests. And among the crowd, Linong had found whom were, quite obviously, the Tech and Robotics majors—they all looked just like him. Dark circles and bags forming underneath their eyes, hands jittery over probable late-night programming and reassembling of machinery parts.

 

At the sight of such a diverse crowd, Linong couldn’t help but wonder why it was that other people always knew exactly what was best for him, before he could?

 

In a moment, the whole place left its serenity, and was filled with noises and calloused footsteps over the waxed floors. It was suddenly an unrecognizable place.

 

He took his eyes away from the lot, and looked back at Xukun. He sighed a breath of relief.

 

Linong was glad he had someone by his side.


	5. these were one of those questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up, this is a long one!

_“Hello, Professor Qin Fen.”_

_It was midnight. Linong had been deep asleep on the other bed beside Xukun’s; the only light source that could be found within their room was the phone emanating a dark glow from Xukun’s hand._

_Xukun called Professor Qin Fen every night as instructed, to report daily activities and suspicious figures that Xukun might have seen. Professor Qin Fen had input profiles and images of specific people Xukun should look out for—most of them were generals, military soldiers, and others, national security guards._

_So far, Xukun had no record of the specific people appearing in their vicinity._

_“There have been no suspicious figures spotted in the last twenty-four hours.” Xukun said._

_“Are you sure?” Qin Fen’s voice quivered through the line._

_“Yes, Professor.”_

_“And the boy… Is Linong safe?” It was as though Qin Fen’s breath kept being held inside of him. Xukun could detect the emotion of worry, but his reaction to respond to this emotion hadn’t been fully developed, so Xukun stayed silent._

_Xukun looks at Linong to his left; Linong’s mouth was half-open, eyes closed, and arms thrown up over his head. His bedsheets had been convulsed and unkempt, wrinkles that accumulated on the sheets over a few days’ time could be seen pressed against his face._

_Xukun had often scanned Linong like this, checking his breathing levels and heart rate. Seeing the same results every night, Xukun had input this image of Linong as his level and condition of being safe._

_“He is safe, Professor.” Xukun said._

_For a while, Qin Fen couldn’t be heard over the line, but when he’d finally dragged a long sigh, Qin Fen said, “Do not let them get to both of you, Xukun. Protect him and yourself at all costs.” There was a roughness to his voice, as those words spewed off his mouth._

_They were the very same words Xukun was left with by Professor Qin Fen before he flew to Beijing._

_“Yes, Professor.” These were the very same words Xukun had replied with._

Linong didn’t know how, but he had managed to make some friends in his first few days in Minzu University. The funny thing was, they weren’t even Tech and Robotics majors—they were mostly dance and performing arts majors.

 

There was Wang Ziyi; he’d been the first one that approached Linong. Ziyi was a dance major, and so he moved very smoothly and rhythmically. He had braids tied over his head, and too many piercings on his ear, lips and tongue to count. Linong made sure not to stare too hard at the piercings on his lips, or else that would’ve just been very weird.

 

But contrary to his appearance, Linong found Ziyi to be just as innocent and honest as Xukun. From the first time Ziyi and Linong had talked, Ziyi had endlessly shared his enthusiasm about the new food stall that opened in their canteen—"It’s a food stall entirely for healthy snacks!” Ziyi said.

 

Then, there was also Lin Yanjun, an oddball of an acting major. He’d been the second one to approach Linong, but the very first person one to greet him with, “I know you’re new here, but the rule is you’ve got to date me. That’s just how the system works.”

 

Linong just laughed and slowly tried to escape the lunch table, with the intentions of keeping his promise with his mother of not getting mixed-up with bad people while he was there. But, Yanjun had held his shoulder and pulled him back down, “I’m just joking,” he said, with a very straight-laced face. Linong was still quite catious of him.

 

The latest person he’d met was Xu Kaihao, someone that was, _finally_ , in the same homeroom class as Linong. Xu Kaihao and Linong had hit it off at the very start. They were both from Taiwan, but Kaihao had been in Beijing for almost three years, but they could still understand each other perfectly.

 

Linong was glad he’d met more people; it made the whole campus a little less unfamiliar to him. But, he didn’t know about Xukun, whom was surprisingly very quiet. Linong thought Xukun would immediately get along with many people, with his pretty face and interesting personality, but Xukun only stayed by Linong’s side, following him silently as he could. Even when Ziyi, Yanjun and Kaihao had greeted Xukun, he would only bow his head.

 

Linong wondered if Xukun was actually an introverted person. Well, he didn’t even know what _type_ of person Xukun really was. He didn’t know a lot of things about Xukun, aside from the fact that he was honest, and had mysterious food allergies.

 

Linong wanted to ask Xukun a lot of things about himself, but Xukun had always been the one to ask the questions between them.

 

“Linong, do you like those people?”

 

These, were one of those questions.

 

They were in the library. Linong was gathering research material for the paper Han Mubo had assigned for the class. It was about the foundations and basic theories about artificial intelligence, but comparing between Linong and Xukun bore a great difference.

 

Linong still had his draft on his computer screen ready to proofread, but Xukun’s had already been printed out. It seemed that Linong kept seeing all these different and unexpected sides about Xukun—it had just made him more curious.

 

“What do you mean?” Linong asked. He was a bit puzzled at first.

 

“Wang Ziyi, Lin Yanjun, and Xu Kaihao,” Xukun said, “Do you want them to replace me as your companion?”

 

Linong stopped reading and flipping through his textbooks, taken aback. He looked up at Xukun, back still hunched over and fingers trailing off his keyboard. Linong saw that Xukun wasn’t smiling like he’d usually been.

 

It was here than Linong saw it again: Xukun’s quiet fragility.

 

 _Does he really think I’d do that?_ Linong thought. He didn’t know what to feel. When he first got to Beijing and found out he had a roommate, of course he was surprised. But Xukun had many ways of growing on Linong. If Linong thought back, he wouldn’t make it in his first day in Beijing without Xukun. He would’ve cried in his room all day.

 

He would’ve retreated back to his shell.

 

“Xukun… You’re my roommate,” Linong muttered, suddenly feeling quite shy. But he knew Xukun had to know this.

 

“I don’t think anyone could just _replace_ a person. Especially not you.”

 

Linong looked at Xukun once more—he was smiling.

 

“I will remember that, Linong.” Xukun said.

 

Afterwards, Ziyi, Yanjun and Kaihao all asked why Linong kept smiling throughout the day. Linong was glad no one asked why his heart had beat so loud; it seemed only he could hear it.

 

 

 

 

 

“Students, settle down,” Professor Mubo knocked on his podium to gather the students’ attention.

 

The chatter of the class slowly subsided, directing themselves forward at him. Linong could see him taping up a poster with a cartoonish robot drawn on it, with a speech bubble on top of his head. It had been too far away for him to see what the text inside was saying, since Linong was tall (gigantic) and was inevitably put to the very back of the class.

 

Professor Mubo then turned around to face the class, “I know some of you here are looking for chances and changes, to make your name known in the industry. Some of you have big dreams,” He said, and, if Linong really was right, had looked at Linong, meeting his eyes for a split second.

 

“Here is your chance.” Professor Mubo put his hand up and pointed at the poster, “The annual Robotics Fair is coming up next month. It is a competition for talented, young inventors, and I hope to see _most_ of you there.”

 

The class suddenly brought back their noise, much louder than before. Linong heard some of them complain, some get excited, and others, like Linong, get confused. He hadn’t known about this; Qin Fen hadn’t even mentioned it. Qin Fen treated Linong’s exchange to Beijing as a whole mystery, and Qin Fen informed nothing about Minzu University to Linong; he had to find out most of what he knew only from the internet.

 

Linong looks back up, and he swears, this time, the Professor really had looked straight at him.

 

The Professor shot a smile, “No pressure.” He said.


	6. heimlich maneuver

Linong had a lot of surprising encounters and situations thrown at him once he’d arrived at Beijing. One of the most surprising was probably when he found out he’d been signed up against his will to compete in the Robotics Fair.

 

He was walking past the hall with Xukun when he saw the poster with the same cartoon robot drawn on it as the poster their Professor had put up days ago. Linong got closer to finally see some of its details; they were steps on what to put on your application form and where to send it. Next to the poster was the list of students that had been accepted.

 

The very first name written had delivered it quite clearly, in bolded and capitalized letters: “ **SECOND YEAR STUDENT, PROFESSOR HAN MUBO’S CLASS - CHEN LINONG”** it said.

 

Linong had choked while sipping on his chocolate milk, making a gargling sound before he could screech in confusion. Suddenly, Linong felt arms around his waist, squeezing his stomach in. He looked behind him and saw Xukun’s face buried on Linong’s back.

 

Linong cleared his throat, “What are you doing?”

 

“Heimlich Maneuver. You are choking.” Xukun said, his voice muffled as he spoke against Linong’s shirt.

 

“I, I’m fine, I just,” Linong looked back at his name in printed letters again. Though, remembering Xukun’s arms were still thrown around his waist, his bewilderment was quickly replaced with his heart drumming loudly, but he tried to calm himself, “I was surprised.”

 

Xukun releases Linong from inside his arms and Linong felt a great weight lift off from him. _God, how heavy even **is** Xukun? He’s so thin but he’s like a boulder._

 

“Why were you surprised, Linong?”

 

Linong stopped calculating Xukun’s muscle mass after a few seconds of going blank, “Um, yeah, it’s because of, uh,” Linong hurriedly pointed to the paper and tore his gaze away from Xukun.

 

Xukun turned his head to look at it and started reading each name on the paper until Linong stopped him, “No, I can _read_ it, but, look at what it says on the top. It’s me! I didn’t sign up for this.”

 

“Then why is your name written?” Xukun blinked at him.

 

“I… I don’t know. I think Fen-ge is involved. He definitely has to be.” Linong said.

 

Qin Fen had the habit of dragging Linong around in things a professor would usually do alone and by himself. Qin Fen called it ‘apprenticeship’, Linong called it ‘unpaid employment’. But sometimes, Qin Fen would also drag Linong along into his laboratory where he built most of his prototypes and not-yet-publicized gadgets, and Linong would be astounded. He’d remember that under Qin Fen’s mischievous pretense, Qin Fen was the one that had built android medical aides from scratch when he was only nineteen.

 

Linong wondered what Qin Fen’s plan was.


	7. you just have to try

_“I calculated the risks, Professor. There is a 99% chance that Chen Linong will find out, when I am without my battery. I am now proceeding to our assigned hideout.”_

_“Then why did you even give your battery? This goes completely against your program! You must always prioritize first your anonymity!”_

_Xukun did not respond. Qin Fen could only hear the rushing of wind and the crunching of leaves as Xukun’s feet sped fast inside what sounded like the woods, nearer and nearer to the abandoned cabin Qin Fen had told Xukun was their hideout, if anything went weary._

_When Xukun finally stopped, Qin Fen had heard him say, “Because I wanted to help Linong.”_

_The line went dead._

_Qin Fen’s GPS tracker on Xukun had lost its connection._

 

 

 

 

 

A Month Earlier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What’s with the grumpy face, cutie?” Yanjun chimed in on Linong and Xukun at the lunchtable. Linong ignored this, as he’d slowly gotten used to Yanjun’s numerous nicknames for Linong (and for everyone else, as well).

“He was surprised.” Xukun explained, in Linong’s place. Yanjun seemed to be surprised that Xukun finally spoke to someone other than Linong, and laughed. Linong sensed this as another one of Yanjung’s flirting antics; Yanjun’s dimples had buried a place deep on his cheeks, and was obviously flaunting it towards his new victim, Xukun.

Linong frowned and crossed an arm over Xukun, “Ey, go somewhere else, you’re giving me cholesterol because of all your grease.”

Yanjun fake-gasped, “Excuse you, I’m smooth, not greasy. 

Xukun nods behind Linong’s arm, “He is right, Linong. It is physically impossible for a human being to give you cholesterol.”

Linong put down his arm and furrowed his brows, “Whose side are you on?”

“At your left side.” Xukun pointed at himself, whom literally was on the left side of Linong on the lunch table.

Linong just sighed, burying his head between his palms, trying not to mind the headache Yanjun’s laugh was giving him from across the seats.

“What happened?” Ziyi was the next to stop by. He slid his tray on the table and Yanjun scooted over to make space.

“Linong’s stressed. He’s probably pent-up.” Yanjun said, earning himself a hit on the shoulder from Ziyi.

“Is it about the Robotics Fair?” Ziyi asked.

Linong whipped his head back up, “How did you know?”

“All geek majors flock around that fair every year. Even the seniors get to compete, so it’s a tough competition,” Ziyi said, and Yanjun nodded next to him. Linong felt his mind crash and shatter— _there’s no way I can win this, then._

“But it’s worth it,” Ziyi pointed at a boy walking across the canteen. “You see him?”

Linong turned around and spotted him, “Yeah.”

“He’s a junior; won the fair last year and got an invitation from Sozu Tech afterwards. He even became a temp there during summer. I bet he’ll join this year, too. He’s a total legend across the school just because geeks kept spreading his name.”

The boy was around the same height as Linong, or probably even taller, which was rare, but other than that, had no other similarities with Linong. He had a face that was almost as pretty as Xukun’s, clear, pale skin and skinny limbs. He definitely looked like a person used to the everyday hectivity of Beijing. Even just the way he walked gave out an aura. 

Linong didn’t dare look at him for another second, placing his head back between his hands in despair.

“I don’t know what you’re stressed about, but you should give the fair a chance,” Ziyi held Linong’s arms back down, making Linong look at him.

“You just have to try.” He said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_You just have to try._

Linong thought about those words. He thought that he actually _could_ , if he didn’t need to win—if he really had just needed to try.

It was during their self-study period in Programming class that Linong started to sketch ideas for his invention into his notepad. 

He’d sketched about flying drones that delivered parcels within a twenty-mile vicinity; about machines you’d put ingredients into and it would come out as a whole meal; and even about a portable mini-fridge. Linong had scanned over the whole page where he sketched his ideas over, and concluded they were all basically impossible, and all half-nonsense. 

Kaihao peered over his shoulder and laughed, “I would buy that mini-fridge.” Which basically confirmed that these ideas needed to be burned immediately.

Linong glared at him and Kaihao cut his laughter short, and left him alone. Linong tore the page apart from his notepad and crossed off the three ideas. He was about to give up, but the blankness of his head was suddenly filled with an impossibility. It was a sort of hope Linong had.

His hands moved on their own and in a few minutes, the bottom half of the paper was filled with sketches of random parts and instructional drawings, others were lists of materials and a whole step-by-step plan on how to build it. 

Linong looked at the final sketches and notes resulted, realizing what he was doing and laughed at himself. He crumpled the paper into a ball so tiny it looked like a lint.

_What am I thinking? I can’t build an android._

 

 

Linong woke up the next day to the sound of doorbells constantly ringing through their apartment.

He opened his eyes, defenseless against the sunlight that pierced through the gap between the wide-open windows. With his eyes still adjusting to the amount of light, he looked around and saw the blurry sight of Xukun opening the door and hauling one box after another into their apartment.

Linong approached the scene, dragging his body near Xukun, and the deliveryman that was deadbeat tired from carrying all the boxes to their floor. Xukun seemed oblivious against the bitter stares of the deliveryman. Their apartment complex didn’t even have an elevator, and Linong and Xukun were on the fourth floor.

“What…” Linong muttered, finally starting to make complete sentences in his head, “What are all these?”

Xukun shoved the last box inside and closed the door abruptly, without so much as giving the deliveryman a word of thanks, and Linong only whispered a quick apology inside his head.

“Good morning, Linong,” Xukun bowed ninety degrees deep as he always does, and Linong felt awkward but had done the same. “These are materials for your project.”

Linong squinted further, not remembering any professor’s announcement for a project. “What do you mean?”

Xukun faced away from Linong and approached his bedside table. He pulled out the small drawer and took out a ball of crumpled paper from inside. He’d flattened and smoothed it out on the surface and gave it to Linong, almost with an expectant expression—the first expression Linong saw that was not alike Xukun’s smile or his neutral face.

Linong tried to ignore his fascination with Xukun’s face for a few seconds, and looked at the paper.

It took Linong a full minute to process what was written on it.

“No way!” Linong exclaimed; he’d jumped from his spot, bursting with smiles, as though he hadn’t woken up just a minute ago. The paper had the same messy sketches crossed out and Linong’s uneven and hurried handwriting as yesterday—the final and fourth sketch, was the idea of an android. It had been the only one that wasn’t crossed out.

His heart had suddenly felt a thump of excitement. Linong had always been interested in coding and building machines, but they’d always been from scratch, or from the same equipment their school had given them—and they’d always just been so _simple._ Linong has never even tried building a robot that could walk a few steps, much less an android that could converse and pick up a glass of water. But he’d  thought of so much possibilities that made him want to believe it _can_ be done, but the excitement had only lasted a few seconds _._

Questions started popping up in Linong’s head (he was ever the skeptic), “Where did you get the money to buy these, though?” There was panic in his voice. “And how did you even get ahold of this paper, I thought I threw it away…”

“I asked Professor Han Mubo for a starting fund,” Xukun said. “I saw you throwing away the paper in the trash bin, but you threw it away with a sad expression.”

Linong didn’t know what to react to first. There were two main points Linong took from what Xukun said, and these were: they probably owe their professor a huge sum of money now, and second,  _Xukun noticed that about me?_

“Okay,” Linong huffed out a breath and sat down on the edge of the bed. He shut his eyes tight, ready for the bitter conclusion of it all—“Tell me what he said. Was it a 10% interest rate? Would it be double the amount after each day? Or worse… do I have to _win_ the fair?”

He was ready for the worst, but Xukun only smiled wider in front of him, “No. He said the following as a message to you: _‘Tell him it’s on me, and to do great out there. I’ll be rooting for him’._ ”

Linong had sank his chin down to his chest, but hearing those words had made him whip his head back up. His eyes were round, big and shining. “ _Really?_ That’s all he said? No debts, no interest rates, no nothing?” Linong became hopeful. The thump in his heart had come back, louder than ever.

When Linong stopped holding back his smile, it was then that Xukun made another new expression.

He laughed.

“Yes, that was all the professor said.”


	8. isn't that already love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i just wanted to say thank you so much for the feedback. i hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and that you are all having a nice day!

With the past few days that came by, Linong had concluded that Xukun didn’t know any more about himself than Linong did.

They’ve been spending a lot of time together recently, while they planned and built the basic framework of the android. Linong had thought about calling Qin Fen for help, but he didn’t even need to, since Xukun was already surprisingly very knowledgeable. He moved fast and thought swiftly. Whenever Linong would encounter bugs while programming, Xukun would immediately know where the code had gotten messed up. And whenever Linong would screw on the wrong place, Xukun would take over and make up for it.

 _Well, Xukun **is** also a Tech major, _Linong thought to himself, but it had still been unexpected. Xukun had been this good yet no one knew his name. God, Linong didn’t even know where Xukun was from. And his last name… _I don’t even know his last name._

Linong looked at Xukun sitting quietly on his bed. Xukun was staring off into space, his hands steady at his sides and his legs placed straight across him. Linong was used to this, now; at first it had been odd, the way Xukun just spent his time looking at all directions that didn’t have a focus, but when Linong asked Xukun what he was looking at once, Xukun had pointed and said, “The dust. The sunlight is making them glisten.”

Linong squinted his eyes, and focused at the spot Xukun had been staring at, and saw that the dust really _was_ glistening. Twinkling, even. Like mid-air stars. As the dust started to disappear and fade away, Linong could only think about how Xukun always saw the smallest of details, and kept them into his heart, directly imprinting it there.

Xukun saw all the things Linong would overlook. It made Linong wonder, _how many things have I overlooked about Xukun, while he saw everything about me?_

“Hey,” Linong called out. Xukun turned his head, and eventually his whole body to face Linong whom was across the room, tinkering with the smaller parts needed to be secure on the android’s framework.

“How come you never tell me anything about you?” Linong meant it as a half-joke; and half _really_ meaning it. Linong doesn’t remember Xukun ever telling him one story about where he’d come from, or about the things he liked, or about anything, when Linong told Xukun right off the bat about his own family.

Linong bit his lips between his teeth and waited. Xukun stared at him, “There is nothing to tell.”

Linong knitted his brows together, hands still preoccupied with tightening screws and wriggling to check for flaws. “What do you mean?”

“I do not know much about my origin.” Xukun said.

“You mean, your family?”

“My family…” Xukun started to trail off, but still kept staring at Linong. Linong suddenly felt bad; it seemed like he was prying too far. He was about to wave the whole conversation off, when Xukun spoke again, “You and Professor Qin are my family,”

Linong stopped tightening screws, wriggling parts and biting his lips. Linong had just stopped altogether.

Xukun smiled, “You two are the people I go home to. That’s what family is, isn’t it?”

Linong thought about all the things he didn’t notice about Xukun when he was with him. The words Xukun had said to Linong on his first day in Beijing to comfort him from his homesickness, and the small smile Xukun had made when Linong told him in a whisper that Xukun wouldn’t ever be replaced. The _fact_ that Linong even had to tell him that.

These were all the clues.

And this was the conclusion: _Xukun has been lonely for a long time._

“Yeah. It is.” Linong said.

Linong decided to pay more attention from then on.

 

 

 

 

Linong noticed that Xukun was enthusiastically curious about many things. And this time, not all entirely about Linong. He had questions about basically everything he’d see, hear and touch. It was as if he’d never been outside before.

The first thing Xukun had asked Linong about was the big swing set in a nearby playground. They were going back from the convenience store behind their apartment complex when they passed the park that was across their building. Xukun had gone into a full stop and stared at it. Linong took a few steps back and asked Xukun what he saw.

“That,” Xukun pointed to one swing that a kid had been pushed on by his mother. “Is it fun? Do people enjoy them?”

Linong thought it a bit unique that Xukun would ask that. Linong doesn’t know a single person that hasn’t tried going on a swing before, but then again, Xukun was not like most people.

Linong scratched his head, thinking of a good answer, “Well, yeah. It’s fun. It’s like…” Linong tried to do gestures to explain it, but mid-way, he’d thought of a better idea than gesturing and making random noises all over the place. He looked at Xukun, bright-eyed and with a wide smile, “Wanna try it?”

Linong didn’t seem to think twice. He dragged Xukun by the hand and put him to sit on the swing next to the child and his mother. They gave Linong and Xukun a look, and started to gather their things and walked away; but Linong didn’t mind. Linong didn’t mind seeming weird anymore.

Linong placed his hands on the edges behind Xukun’s swing. “I’m going to push you now, alright?” He said.

“Okay.”

Linong pushed Xukun gently at first, and he swung back and forth, the metallic creaks of the chains scratching against the metal bar it was attached to with every swing, but Xukun had asked afterwards, “Can it go faster?”

And Linong couldn’t help but smile at that. “Of course!”

He pushed harder until Xukun’s hair was being wafted by the wind. Xukun was looking up at the sky as he went along with the sway of his seat, “Faster?” he asked loudly, as if to fight against the wind that was blowing hard through him.

Linong laughed and took on the challenge. “Don’t regret it, okay?”

Linong inhaled and pushed Xukun the hardest that he can. Once Xukun had took off, Xukun tightened his grip around the chains and carried his feet on top of the seat. Linong almost stopped the seat from swinging any further, but Xukun was already standing. Even from behind, Linong could see Xukun’s smile. His cheeks had rose and the corners of his lips were visible.

Once the momentum had faded away, Xukun hopped off from his seat and said, “This was very fun, Linong.”

The sky was slowly bathing in a tint of purple as evening approached, so the cold had taken over. People outside started to wear their jackets, gloves and vests. Linong didn’t need to. His heart had already felt warm.

 

 

 

 

The second thing Xukun was curious about was the drama that played on their television screen.

Linong doesn’t remember the title. He’d been too busy and too sleep deprived to notice anything going around him at that point. Unexpectedly, it had been the programming that took most of Linong’s time in building the android. Half of the android’s physical construction had been done, mostly with the help of Xukun. He worked like magic with the materials.

Linong felt his eyes heavy on his face. He had been staring at the computer screen for endless of hours, and on several times, had almost fell asleep on his chair. It was past midnight, but both of them were still wide awake.

Xukun was already done fixing up the parts Linong needed to input his program into the android, but had insisted that he’d stay up with Linong, just in case he’d need help. Linong doesn’t ask any more questions about it, not really wanting to agonize over bugs and hiccups he might encounter again all alone.

While Linong waited for his latest update of his program to download into the android, he watched Xukun whom was quite invested in watching the late night drama rerun. Linong looked at the screen and was instantly jolted awake.

It was a kissing scene.

Linong didn’t know why, but the blood suddenly rushed to his cheeks, and he’d turned away. He even felt the need to shield Xukun’s eyes from watching it, but remembered they were both in college and this was _supposed_ to be perfectly fine for them to watch already (though, evidently, not perfectly fine for Linong for some reason).

“Linong,” Xukun called, not taking his eyes away from the screen. Linong just silently shook his head, like he’d known what was coming.

“Is kissing fun? I see people do it a lot,” Xukun said. Linong was freaking out inside. His head had already been a mess since the moment it passed twelve midnight, but it became a jumble of thoughts and spinning confusion—it felt like he was overheating, even though they had turned off the AC earlier because it’d been too chilly.

“People only do an activity when they enjoy it.” Xukun said and looked at him, but Linong still had his head frozen and turned away to the opposite direction.

A long period of silence had taken over and Linong was still fumbling with his thoughts; words started to spew out of his mouth, but mostly in bits and pieces, torn apart and entirely disconnected.

“Well, uh, when two people- no, that isn’t… I mean, they do it because it’s… y’know… because they want…”

“Love,” Xukun said. “The emotion of love is what makes them do it, isn’t it?”

Linong paused and widened his eyes, nodding enthusiastically. “Uh, yeah, that- that’s it. Ah, if you already knew you shouldn’t have freaked me out like that!” Linong sighed in defeat. It was at times like this that Linong would wonder if Xukun did everything the way he did just to poke fun at Linong entirely—but there was a look in Xukun’s eyes that told him otherwise.

Linong had turned to see Xukun whose gaze was back to the television screen that had _finally_ changed scenes. Xukun’s expression had not.

“I only based from what I’ve read and seen. People have many things to say about love, but I have not learned the emotion yet.” Xukun said.

Linong thought about it for a second, “I don’t think it’s an emotion you have to learn, though.” He said.

Linong hadn’t loved yet to the point he’d call it love himself, but he has seen and heard numerous people do so. Linong was the first person his friends would call after proposing to someone, or after being dumped by someone, and it had shown Linong many of the things that came with the word ‘love’. Things he has yet to experience for himself.

“I think… it’s just what it is. It’s an emotion. It’s something you feel.” Linong said, and felt Xukun’s gaze on him, looking for further explanation.

He tried to be as coherent as possible, but the words had just come flowing out, “I’m not particularly an _expert_ on this, you know. But that’s how I think of it. People say a lot of times, ‘it feels like love’, but... it’s funny because, what other things are _that_ similar to love than itself?”

Linong was looking back at Xukun, but it hadn’t felt like Linong was talking to him.

Linong was talking to himself.

“If you think and feel that it’s ‘like’ love, whatever kind of feeling that might be for you, isn’t that already… _love?_ ”

Linong hadn’t loved yet to the point he’d call it love himself, but it seemed that had already changed. Earlier, his eyes were tired and his whole body felt sore from sitting in front of his computer for hours on end, but after hearing these words escape him, he’d been entirely awake. And he had known why.

 

 

 

 

_If you think and feel that it’s ‘like’ love, isn’t that already love?_

“I think I’m in love with Xukun.” Linong said it firmly and sharply, like he believed that the words could cut his phone in half and destroy this entire conversation, though it hadn’t.

 “It’s three in the morning, Linong,” Yanjun said. He was trying very hard not to hang up on Linong right then and there, seeing as he was knee-deep in either a crisis or an epiphany.

“Did you literally just realize that now?”

Yanjun didn’t feel like helping him out of either.

 

 

 

 

_“Hello, Professor.”_

_Xukun had taken this chance to call Qin Fen before Linong came back from the convenience store._

_On their late nights spent working on the android, Xukun had missed a few times on his nightly reports to Qin Fen. This had worried Qin Fen, thinking that something might have happened, but receiving this call from Xukun tonight had eased some of his concerns._

_“Xukun,” He said, “These reports are not optional.”_

_“Yes, Professor. I could not call you for these few days as Linong had been spending more time awake. The risks were 45%, if he had seen us contacting each other.”_

_Qin Fen sighed, “Fine. Then, what do you have for me today? Did you see anything?”_

_“No, Professor. I have not spotted suspicious figures in the last eighteen hours.”_

_Qin Fen felt his body finally release some of its tension. He was glad that for once, he seemed to have made the right choice in hiding Xukun away. He was wary at first; he didn’t want to risk mixing Linong into the whole thing, but it had been a spur of the moment. Their security had been breached numerous of times—files getting hacked, eye-scan locks getting rigged, and some of their prototypes from the main lab going missing—Qin Fen knew they were slowly trying to make their way to Xukun._

_Qin Fen knew that the military had expressed interest numerous of times in Qin Fen’s abilities. His gadgets often the star of the show; his robots, androids and aides made to fit the image of a powerful weapon. Xukun had been no less of that in their eyes; he’d been a gateway to so many more possibilities. To a killing machine to a reliable intel gatherer; a whole steel army sent across borders and ruin so many innocent lives. This was how they saw Xukun._

_He was sure they were the opponent they were up against. He’d put information, profiles and transferred them into Xukun’s memory for him to flee when they’d be identified in the surrounding area._

_After all the preparations had been done, Qin Fen sent Xukun off to Beijing with hesitancy, but he knew the best way to remain hidden was in plain sight._

_“You remember what I told you, right? If you saw them?”_

_“Yes, Professor. We will run to the assigned hideout in the woods near east of the city. I have its location pinpointed.”_

_“Good.” Qin Fen let out a shaky breath. He’d hoped desperately that everything would go well. Qin Fen only needed more time. Just a few more months to get them out of their tail, to create something that the military can direct their focus on._

_Xukun seemed to detect Qin Fen’s unsettledness, and had added, “Do not worry, Professor. Chen Linong will be protected. He will be secure. I am sure of it.”_

_Qin Fen laughed, thinking how amazing it was for Xukun to have familiarized with Linong so quickly, when he, himself took months for Xukun to input his information accordingly._

_“Alright.” He said._

_After Qin Fen hang up, he’d noticed something from the way Xukun spoke. Xukun had always calculated risks and possibilities; it was the way he was designed. Even if it was certain, the certainty would always be translated into numbers for Xukun._

_But this time, Xukun had put it into words. Confidently, firmly, and without waver, Xukun had said, ‘He will be secure. I am sure of it.’_


End file.
